AP Chambers seeks VFS visa centres in Amaravati, Visakhapatnam
The Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (AP Chambers) has urged the State government to facilitate the establishment of full-fledged VFS Global Visa Application Centres (VACs) in Amaravati and Visakhapatnam to meet the rising demand for international visa and consular services in Andhra Pradesh.
In a representation submitted to Chief Secretary G. Sai Prasad, AP Chambers president Potluri Bhaskara Rao said Andhra Pradesh still lacks dedicated VFS Global centres despite a growing number of international travellers from the State, including students, NRIs, IT professionals, exporters, entrepreneurs, tourists, and migrant workers.
He pointed out that applicants are currently forced to travel to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and other cities for visa processing and biometric appointments, resulting in additional expenditure, inconvenience, and travel burden.
According to AP Chambers, VFS Global provides visa, passport, biometric, and consular support services for more than 60 countries. The Chambers noted that nearly 40,000 to 45,000 students from Andhra Pradesh travel abroad annually for higher education, apart from business travellers, professionals, parents visiting NRI children, and tourists undertaking international travel every year.
The Chambers said the requirement for full-fledged visa facilitation centres has become increasingly important in view of the rapid economic growth of Amaravati and Visakhapatnam.
It stated that Amaravati is emerging as a major knowledge, innovation, and quantum technology hub with growing investments in education, governance, research, startups, and technology ecosystems. A VFS centre in the capital region would benefit people from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema.
In Visakhapatnam, AP Chambers said the city is developing into a major data centre and technology hub on the East Coast, with companies such as Google, Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and Sify Technologies establishing major infrastructure projects.